Well, I found out what the problem is and why this happens so much! They are CURSED. Yes! Bewitched; under a spell; jinxed. It is called “The Curse of Knowledge”; and we have all been infected. There is no cure because you can’t unlearn what you know. And believe it or not, YOU have probably done it too; hopefully, not on purpose. It happens to all of us and I can prove it. Here is a test; Don’t cheat: Explain DNA to a six year old. Could you do it? It is very difficult. You probably know what DNA is and you expect most other people to know what it is. So taking the time to explain it in simple terms could be a challenge. In fact, if you were talking about DNA you would probably zoom right past the explanation of it. If someone asked you what DNA was, you would probably hesitate to continue to the conversation or if you are a science geek you could say: “DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the hereditary material in humans and blah blah blah” Do you think they would get it based on that explanation? How about that 6 year old? Imagine how powerfully you could communicate if you could explain something as complex as DNA in simple terms. Imagine your customers, team members, and executives being able to make informed decisions now that they KNOW what you are talking about. Fortunately, I am here to break to curse! Don’t worry; you will still be knowledgeable; but you can communicate more effectively today! First, start with a strong foundation by using information that someone already has; this will make your message simple. Then add visual elements to it; this will make it concrete; Finally, throw in a story; this will make your message memorable. Situation: Recently, I was teaching a group of Business Analysts, Project Managers, and Technologists to improve project communications. The issue was that they all had their own lingo and no one spoke the same language. Technologists would swear that they said something; but the Business Analysts never got that piece of information. The PM was in the room, but said that both parties were talking in circles. Fortunately, as a multilingual person, I can speak the language of Techies, BAs and PMs. I realized that they did not need a translator; they just needed to have the spell broken. Cure: Using Sticky Mechanics would give them the skills to explain everything in Simple, Concrete, and Memorable ways. At first they did not think it was possible, but by the end of the workshop, they were able to explain a host of complex work concepts in a simple and concrete terms. Now, a few months later, they have reported that Sticky Mechanics is the cornerstone of communications. One guy said he could communicate with his 10 year old son. At then end of the workshop they could even explain DNA. Outcome They came up with the following example to explain DNA: DNA is a set of tiny instructions that tells each part of your body what to do. The instructions for you ear might be; “You need to hear the sounds around you.” For your eyes it might be, “You need to see the things around you; and squint when thing are too bright; and open wider when things are too dark.” DNA looks like a ladder that goes straight up. Except it looks more like one from a Cat In The Hat book, so it is a little twisted around instead of straight up and down. Imagine that the ladder has rungs on it. On every rung is a letter from the sentence; “You need to hear the sounds around you.” Those instructions become a part of your ear so that it knows what to do. That is what DNA does; it tells every part of your body what to do. It is so tiny that you can’t see it, but it is definitely there. What an amazing difference! I was so impressed by the change after one workshop! There are three more workshops in the series for the team! What a great investment. Imagine how much better communications in your business would be if you could come up with simple ways to communicate the most complex concepts. What complex concepts do you struggle with explaining? I look forward to hearing from you!
Can you explain DNA to a 6 year old
About This Contributor
Dawnna St. Louis
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